Human smuggler who crashed after high-speed chase with police sentenced to eight years in prison

Published 8:34 am, Thursday, May 18, 2017

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Jovanni Rodarte is pictured.

Jovanni Rodarte is pictured.

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Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of the people arrested.

Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of

Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of the people arrested. less

Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children, produced the arrests of 13 men between January and December 2016. Click through the following gallery to see mugshots of some of ... more

Photo: Webb County Sheriffs Office

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Alton Zerie Brister

Alton Zerie Brister

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Christopher Cobb

Christopher Cobb

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Salvador Contreras

Salvador Contreras

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Jorge Dominguez

Jorge Dominguez

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Christopher Earl Dunn

Christopher Earl Dunn

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Ricardo Elias Fernandez

Ricardo Elias Fernandez

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Jamie Gerardo Gonzalez

Jamie Gerardo Gonzalez

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Daniel Melton

Daniel Melton

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Anastasio Monsivais

Anastasio Monsivais

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Cristian Joseph Perez

Cristian Joseph Perez

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Jon Matthew Woodland

Jon Matthew Woodland

Photo: Webb County Sheriff's Office

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Click through this gallery to see each mugshot and charge for the 13 people arrested in Webb County's 'Operation GOTHCA' for July.

Click through this gallery to see each mugshot and charge for the 13 people arrested in Webb County's 'Operation GOTHCA' for July.

"HSI is dedicated to working closely with all of our law enforcement partners to effectively in identify, arrest and prosecute individuals involved in exploiting people," said in a statement Shane Folden, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Field Office.

"Criminals who illegally smuggle people into and throughout the country place personal profit ahead of public safety. For this reason, HSI will continue to utilize its broad authorities to dismantle human smuggling organizations."

Rodarte, 20, was also ordered to pay $192,997.20 in restitution to the victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

During sentencing, the court heart that Rodarte has been involved in gang violence while incarcerated and has had prior encounters with authorities for human smuggling.

"The government also described the incredible injuries that Rodarte inflicted on multiple innocent people. The court also heard from a victim's wife who described the tremendous pain her husband has endured since the crash and the toll the crash has taken on her entire family," the prosecution said.

Marmolejo added "that despite given multiple opportunities, Rodarte had done nothing good with his life, but had instead immeasurably impacted multiple innocent peoples' lives, including a mother and her son."

Chase

The case occurred Oct. 5, 2016.

A deputy attempted to pull over Rodarte's Ford Expedition for a traffic violation. Instead, he sped off and led authorities on a chase through El Cenizo. Authorities said Rodarte reached speeds of 100 mph in the residential area.

Rodarte, who was transporting three immigrants, allegedly tried to strike the deputies with his vehicle as they attempted to deploy a tire-deflation device.

Rodarte crashed into a school fence and a white Chrysler minivan occupied by three people at the corner of Peña and Espejo Molina in Rio Bravo. Rodarte and six other people sustained injuries.

"Law enforcement performed first-aid at the scene, but several of the vehicles' occupants needed to be air-lifted to hospitals in Laredo and San Antonio," the prosecution said.

"The three occupants in the vehicle Rodarte struck all sustained serious injuries that will require years of ongoing treatment."

Rodarte was first arrested Oct. 13 and charged with one count of evading arrest with a motor vehicle, six counts of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated assault with deadly weapon on public servants. Information on the state charges were not available.